Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-11-22
THE MIMIC WORLD. E
THE STAGE CARPENTERS lMITA-
I,oNS OF NATURAL PHENOMENA.

TiONS OF NATURAL PHENOMENA.
The Mean. by which the Most Realistic
are Produced - Moonlight. Lightning.
Wind aud Rainstorm-Tropica! Scene
on . Cheap scale.
moonlight now is made through piece
Of silk in the drop and gas OF calcium
!igh, is used. In old times cheese boxes
were utilized. but now the drums are made
of tin. Formerly for lightning lycopo
SUM blowpipe is employed. The best
way to make rain is to take n box some
what larger than cheese box and use peas
ard gravel. The bottom of the box il
sheet iron, while the sides are of wood.
The old way To make wind was 10 tie to-
gether two shingles and sling them around
your head, but that WAS changed because
so many people got hit on the jaw. Now
we use a spinning wheel with humming
top, which appliance can be worked with
the foot | used this kind of wind in the
production of Ranch 10 The old snow
box with sieve has gone out OF date, and
now we Use bag with perforations on
that perfect effect is made. The smoke
box is yet in use, and il would he difficult
to improve it much. You have seen the
effect Of snow blowing in at the door,
suppose A man comes in out of the
storm. throws the snow off his hat and
| brushes it Off his shoulders and out Of his
beard. if he has one. OF course the per
sonal effect is made with salt, but the
storm itself is famed in by the use of q
big hoop covered with paper.
..The effect Of bringing a locomotive up
to the wings is very good one when it is
worked properly. The long distance
whistle for brakes Is done on small bot
| tie, one that will hold gill or two. The
other appliances are two blocks faced with
| sandpaper. an egg beater and dishpan and
a snare drum. The rubbing Of the sand
paper makes the escaping steam, the roll
| ing Of the eggbeater in the pan makes the
| rumbling of the wheels and the drum
produces the general noise or effect. When
| the train draws near calcium light is
| flashed across the stage, and at the same
| time all the noises are worked, rs well as
| the bass drum, the crashboX and the more
general noise there is the better the ef-
| feect. In slowing up diminish the sounds
| until a full stop is reached, when only the
escape Of steam is wanted, but it must
then be continuous.
For an explosion at sea-or anywhere
else for that matter-1 use charcoal,
steel filings and gunpowder. The powder
| produces the shower Of sparks. Then we
| have battery of eight gun barrels
fastened TO log. which have to be fired.
II is very easy 10 do, but you have to
| work it right or the effect is spoiled To
represent a trotting horse at u distance
we use cobblestones covered with cloth,
| and q meat chopping machine. The old
| way was To knock stones on block, but
/. 1t was not SO good and had TO be worked
| by an experienced man. The new method
| is great effect and would make yoL
| think the horse was coming right on the
stage. For an approaching carriage l
| march pole on the floor against the grain
| of the wood 81 that il jumps. That rep
| resents the rumbiinC; and for the crack
| ing of the whip We use small tOrpedoes
until the coachman dashes on the stage
| with whip in hand.
In a fire scene on the stage for touch
| ing il off We throw sulphuric acid on a
preparation Of potash and pulverized
sugar, and that saves touching il of as
| they used to have to do. and makes a sure
| job Of it, Sometimes the insurance people
kick. but when we explain it to them that
we have damp cloths TO smother it they
| do not make any further objection. Ice
cakes are made with soap boxes on rock
| ers. The splashing Of the water Is made
| by throwing up salt filled with spangles
| We used this effect in the Lights o. Lon
| don where the fellow goes off the bridge
and We employed the same fake In the
scene of Washington crossing the Deia-
ware. Stage elevators are worked simply
with counter weights, and are easy to
make. Thunder is made nowadays by
beating Il dried COW skin as you would u
bass drum. and the lightning flash which
precedeS it comes from throwing a spray
of lycopodium out Of a can so that il
| comes in contact with sponge filled with
| alcohol on fire.
''In New Orleans made big hit with
| q tropical scene ont of hundred palm
leaf fans, a few green grape barrels, a
quiIe of white pasteboard and a quart OF
green and yellow paints The Kiralfys
had regular modelling shop. in charge of
which was an artist from Paris. He fixed
| the rig by which the north wind knocked
the fisherman into the sea and that by
which the diver went down and brought
him up. You could see the bottom Of the
ocean, fish and all. as natural as life An
other trick is the illusion paint, used by
Hermann in his performances where dark
scenes are 10 he given. The banjo playing
is done in that way. The secret of the
thing is TO charge the paint with magne-
SUM. Only few know that. and may
get myself into a scrape by giving it away.
The woman who floats in the air is kept
up by a back support from behind the
black curtain they use. e."-BuffalO Com
mercial Advertiser